Charlie Chaplin's novella is published for the first time
Charlie Chaplin's novella titled 'Footlights' centers on the same characters that were featured in his 1952 film 'Limelight.'
Charlie Chaplin's novella titled 'Footlights' centers on the same characters that were featured in his 1952 film 'Limelight.'
A novella by film star Charlie Chaplin is being published for the first time.
The work by Chaplin, titled 鈥淔ootlights,鈥� is 70 pages in length and includes the same characters found in his 1952 film 鈥淟imelight.鈥� Versions of the novella were discovered in an archive of Chaplin material that was being digitized by Italy鈥檚 Cineteca di Bologna, a movie institute.
鈥淔ootlights鈥� is being released as part of a work titled 鈥淭he World of Limelight,鈥� written by David Robinson, a Chaplin biographer.
As in the movie 鈥淟imelight,鈥� 鈥淔ootlights鈥� follows a clown (Chaplin) struggling in his career who aids a ballet dancer in getting her career back on track. "Limelight" is well known today as the only film in which Chaplin and actor Buster Keaton appear together.聽
The novella is believed to be the only work of fiction ever penned by the actor, according to PBS.
Co-director of the Cineteca di Bologna鈥檚 Charlie Chaplin project Cecilia Cenciarelli told the Guardian there were striking similarities between the situation of the clown in the story, Calvero, and Chaplin鈥檚 career at the time.
鈥淸The book] has shadows,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t's the story of a comedian who has lost his public, by a comedian who at that time had lost his public, who was referred to in the press of the time as a 鈥榝ormer comedian,鈥� a 鈥榝ormer successful film maker.鈥欌��
鈥淔ootlights鈥� was launched at a Chaplin event at the British Film Institute Southbank in London earlier this week and is being published through the Cineteca di Bologna. It鈥檚 available on the museum鈥檚 website and will be available for purchase through Amazon but has not yet found a British or American publisher.